New Military Cuts May Decimate US Defenses

Thursday, 04 Sep 2014 07:10 PM

By Cathy Burk

In the midst of international crises triggered by Russia, China and the Islamic State, the White House and Congress risk "decimation of our defense" – and security – with continued cuts to the nation's military, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney warns.

The 2012 Republican presidential nominee, in an opinion piece for The Washington Post that was posted online Thursday, took especially sharp aim at President Barack Obama's "ludicrous" assertion that "things are much less dangerous now." 

"The 'safer world' trial balloon has been punctured by recent events in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Libya, Egypt, Gaza, Nigeria, Somalia, Syria and Iraq. 'Failures of imagination' led to tragedy 13 years ago," Romney writes, quoting a conclusion of the9/11 Commission Report. 

http://goo.gl/kKAyQH

TweetME Please

Putin does what Obama Should - protects his borders

 

AUG. 26, 2014

 AUG. 24, 2014

 AUG. 21, 2014

 AUG. 21, 2014

 AUG. 20, 2014

 AUG. 18, 2014

 AUG. 17, 2014

Military leaders in Ukraine charged Russia was deepening its foray into Ukrainian territory and sending new troops to the Crimean border.

Aug. 27, 2014Bystanders watch a fire consuming a school in downtown Donetsk after being hit by shelling. Several civilians died when their car was completely burned after being hit by shell fragments in central Donetsk, the rebel-held city in eastern Ukraine. Francisco Leong/AFP/Getty Images

By Annie Gowen and Karoun Demirjian August 28 at 6:37 AM   

KIEV, Ukraine — Fighting between the Ukrainian military and what Ukrainian and Western officials say are Russian troops worsened early Thursday, prompting fears in Ukraine that a Russian invasion of their territory has begun

http://goo.gl/pLFgfV

TweetMe Please

VIDEO: Malaysia Airlines Plane 'Blown Out of the Sky'

BY MASHABLE TEAM1 day ago

Update: July 18 2014 10:15 a.m. ET: Get the latest on the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 on this post, which we'll continue updating throughout the day. There will be no further updates below.

5.40 a.m. ET: Most Passengers on Flight MH17 Were Dutch

The Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200 that was shot down over war-torn eastern Ukraine on Thursday was carrying 298 people from at least 10 countries.

Here is a breakdown of the nationalities of those on board:

VIDEO: Malaysian Airlines Jet Shot Down By Missile Near Ukraine-Russia Border

A picture taken on July 17, 2014 shows wreckage of the Malaysian Airliner carrying 295 people from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur after it crashed, near the town of Shaktarsk, in rebel-held east Ukraine. (Dominique Faget/AFP/Getty Images)

KIEV, Ukraine (CBS Seattle/AP) – Ukraine said a Malaysia Airlines passenger plane carrying 295 people was shot down Thursday as it flew over the country, and both the government and the pro-Russia separatists fighting in the region denied any responsibility for downing the plane.

As plumes of black smoke rose up near a rebel-held village of Grabovo in eastern Ukraine, an Associated Press journalist counted at least 22 bodies at the crash site 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Russian border.

http://goo.gl/17Xzw8

TweetMe Please

VIDEO: Rebel Leader in Leaked Audio: 'Cossacks' Shot Down the Plane

http://www.breitbart.com/

KIEV, Ukraine — A YouTube video surfaced Thursday that Ukrainian security officials say includes a phone call between a pro-Russian rebel leader and a Russian intelligence agent discussing the shoot-down of a plane.

The beginning of the audio is reportedly between Igor Bezler, a pro-Russian rebel leader, and Vasili Geranin, a man Ukraine security officials say is a Russian intelligence agent. In the first line, Bezler allegedly says "We have just shot down a plane." (This line can also be translated to "We have seen a plane shot down," but then both translations says "cossacks" —Russian volunteers—from Chernukhino road block shot it down.)

The second half of the audio is between two unidentified men, named "Greek" and "Major."

SEE ALSO: Pro-Russian Rebel Commander: 'We Did Warn You — Do Not Fly in Our Sky'

http://goo.gl/X8vCFw

TweetMe Please

Malaysia Airlines MH17 plane crash in Ukraine LIVE UPDATES

A Malaysia Airlines plane en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur has crashed in eastern Ukraine. There were 285 people and 15 crew members on board the Boeing-777 aircraft.

Thursday, July 17

19:33 GMT:

The EU has said it is “shocked” by the crash, and called for all sides to determine who is behind it.

“We call for an immediate and thorough investigation into the causes of the crash. The facts and responsibilities need to be established as quickly as possible. The European Union will continue to follow this issue very closely,” said an official communiqué published by Brussels.

19:19 GMT:

Donetsk People’s Republic Prime Minister Aleksandr Boroday has called for a humanitarian ceasefire for 2 to 3 days to investigate the causes of the MH17 crash, RIA news agency reports.
Boroday earlier accused Kiev of shooting down the plane to frame local militias.

19:11 GMT:

Civilian airspace over Ukraine has been closed until further notice, continental air traffic regulator Eurocontrol has announced.

18:38 GMT:

There were at least 71 Dutch citizens aboard the crashed plane, Germany's RTL channel has reported. Previous unconfirmed reports suggested that there were also 23 passengers with US identification and 9 Brits on the flight. French authorities have confirmed that four of their citizens died in the crash.

Eyewitness photo

18:33 GMT:

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has cleared up the confusion about whether the space in which MH17 was open to civilian planes.

http://rt.com/news/173628-malaysian-plane-crash-ukraine/

TweetMe Please

The site of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane crash is seen at the settlement of Grabovo in the Donetsk region, July 17, 2014.(Reuters / Maxim Zmeyev )

BREAKING VIDEO: Malaysia Plane Crash Malaysia Airlines | Plane Shot Down And Killed 280 People | VIDEO

TweetMe Please

Malaysian Air Flight Shot Down In Ukraine

Reportedly shot down by separatist surface-to-air missile

A Malaysian Airlines plane crashed into eastern Ukraine, near the Russian border Thursday.

Malaysia Airlines says it lost contact with Flight 17 early Thursday, it reported on its Twitter account:

Malaysia Airlines        ✔ @MAS

Follow

Malaysia Airlines has lost contact of MH17 from Amsterdam. The last known position was over Ukrainian airspace. More details to follow.

10:36 AM - 17 Jul 2014

CNN reports that a Ukrainian official is saying that the flight, which wasflying at 33,000 feet, was shot down by a surface-to-air missile operated by militants:

The aircraft was "shot down" over Ukraine by "terrorists" operating a Buk surface-to-air missile system, according to the Facebook page of Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry. There were 280 passengers killed as well as 15 crew members, Gerashchenko's post reads.

http://www.truthrevolt.org/news/malaysian-air-flight-shot-down-ukraine 

CNN reports that a Ukrainian official is saying that the flight, which wasflying at 33,000 feet, was shot down by a surface-to-air missile operated by militants:

The aircraft was "shot down" over Ukraine by "terrorists" operating a Buk surface-to-air missile system, according to the Facebook page of Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry. There were 280 passengers killed as well as 15 crew members, Gerashchenko's post reads.